


The Road So Far

by Nicolemoon8



Series: Irondad Comfortember 2020 [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Adorable Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Awesome Pepper Potts, Campfires, Comfort No Hurt, Comfortember 2020, Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Gen, Irondad, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Pepper Potts Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Road Trips, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:13:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27693254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nicolemoon8/pseuds/Nicolemoon8
Summary: After the Snap, Peter and the Starks decide a family road trip is exactly what they need. They get to see some national monuments, eat junk food and best of all, Tony gets to have his family by his side without interruptions of any kind.COMFORTEMBER PROMPTS INCLUDED:14. Road Trip15. Campfire26. Junk FoodAlt. 6. ColoringAlt.10. Jacket
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Irondad Comfortember 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2007865
Comments: 7
Kudos: 51
Collections: Comfortember 2020





	The Road So Far

**Author's Note:**

> Please enjoy this plotless fluff and let me know what you think! I'm trying to get more to the point and wrote a little differently this time round!

Thankfully Pepper was a genius, but that was nothing new. From her spot in the passenger seat, she passed the suprise bag full of games and snacks to Morgan who was sitting in the middle row of seats in the SUV with Peter by her side.

“Here you go sweetie. Peter, I packed a road trip bag for you too, it’s just under your seat.” She smiled at the gobsmacked expression on the boy's face while Morgan was happily rustling through the unexpected bag of fun.

“Oh Pepper, you didn’t have to do that!” Peter blushed lightly but couldn’t stop himself from excitedly grabbing his own bag. He missed the shared fond look between Tony and Pepper in the front seats.

Morgan gasped as she pulled out a new princess coloring book. “Wow! Mommy look its Ariel and oh! And Mulan!”

“I see that honey, you’ll have to color us some pictures.”

“Yeah Morguna, once we get home, we'll put em on the fridge okay? Pete, what did you find?”’ Tony asked, briefly looking up at the rearview mirror, unable to keep the smile off his face at seeing both his kids together. He had waited five long years of imagining this very scenario, a true family road trip, never knowing if it would actually be possible.

Peter caught Tony's eyes in the mirror, unable to contain his own smile. “I got a travel Lego set of Mount Rushmore! It even has a case to keep it so pieces don’t get lost!”

The excitement coming from both his kids, the monotony of the long drive completely forgotten, made Tony's chest ache with contentness. He reached over and held Pepper’s hand in his own, leaning over to get a kiss to the cheek from her, eyes never leaving the road. He had precious cargo after all.

“Here Morgan,” Peter said as he pulled the seat tray down for his sister, “now you can color better. Do you have crayons?”

She took a moment to stick almost her whole arm into the tote bag, her tongue adorably sticking out as she concentrated on finding something to color with. “Yes! Yay look! I gots a lot of crayons!”

“Sweet! When I was younger my favorite crayons were the ones that had a sharpener in the back of the box, although it never really seemed to work now that I think about it.” Peter said as he looked into his bag some more, pulling out a bag of beef jerky. “Awesome! The perfect road trip snack!”

Tony reached his hand back in a silent “gimmee” action as soon as he heard Peter rip the jerky bag open. He offered a quick thanks when he got a handful of jerky after a moment.

Peter did a happy little wiggle in his seat as he took a bite of his own and started to open his Lego set. On days like this, the struggles of trying to figure the world out completely washed away, easily forgotten as he felt so sure of his place in it. He wasn’t even invited on this trip; it was just a given. An “It’s a family trip so we all have to agree on where we want to go, Pete where do you think we should head first?”. And if that didn’t completely dissolve his last remaining doubts about fitting into the Stark family, nothing else would.

Soft music filled the background as they continued down the road, the car otherwise quieted from the earlier questions of “how much farther” and “are we close yet?”. Both kids focusing on their own activities, occasionally looking at the other’s and chatting softly.

A few hours later and both Tony and Pepper were surprised Morgan had done as well as she had after the last couple days of driving. The rest stops, thought-out car activities and of course the never-ending novelty of her brother's presence all seemed to do the trick. Tony placed the vehicle in park at the cabin they'd be staying at for the next few days. Tony and Pepper looked back and nearly cooed at the sight. Both kids were fast asleep, Morgan with her head thrown back and mouth wide open and Peter, face smooshed leaning against Morgan’s booster seat.

“My god, they’re so precious.” Tony said, looking over at Pepper who was busy taking photos of the pair on her phone. Tony snorted at that. “Make sure you send me those.”

“Already sent. I’m sure May and Happy will enjoy them too. Do you wanna wake your son or your daughter?” Pepper asked, a sparkling gleam in her eye.

Tony’s breath just about stuck in his throat at the reminder that this was real, that he got to have this peace, this feeling of wholeness. With one look, Pepper smiled, got out of the car and opened Morgan’s door to carry her in. Tony opened the opposite door and ducked into the back seat. He ran his fingers through the soft curls, his thumb stroking the boy’s cheek.

“Petey, time to wake up.” He called gently, not wanting to startle the boy. “We made it to the cabin.” Peter's nose scrunched up, just like Morgan’s does when she wakes up, Tony thought. “C'mon buddy. I’m not letting you sleep out in the car all night.” Big brown sleepy eyes peeked open and blinked a few times before a grin slowly spread across the boy's face as soon as he noticed Mr. Stark.

“Hi.”

“Hi baby, we're here.” Tony watched as Peter unfolded himself and looked out the car window, seeing Pepper and Morgan just entering the cabin. He turned with a huge smile.

“We're here!”

“Yeah, we are.” Tony laughed. “Mom's putting Morgan to bed, just grab your backpack and we'll sort everything out in the morning.” Peter gave a nod, eyes back to half-mast as he gathered his things and scooted out of the car. Tony threw an arm over the kid's shoulder, leading him up the porch and into the cozy log cabin. Peter tried to slump off towards the couch but Tony steered him through the kitchen and to the attached bedroom. “Alright, Roo. Get some sleep, if you need anything our room is just off the living room.”

Peter dropped his backpack on the floor and then himself on the double bed, not bothering to change as he spent the day in comfy clothes anyways. Tony only slightly rolled his eyes as he went over to the already asleep boy and pulled the covers over him. He couldn’t resist a forehead kiss and softly whispered “good night” before turning the en-suite bathroom light on and leaving the door open a crack. He closed Peter’s bedroom door before making his way to the car again. The bags weren’t gonna unpack themselves after all.

* * *

The family of four spent the next few days almost completely outside. The first day, and the one Peter was secretly most excited for, was mostly spent at Mount Rushmore. He couldn’t stop himself from shaking with excitement as he gave Morgan a piggy back ride up the stairs and through the entrance arch. They walked along the soft incline with all the state flags lining the path until they reached the balcony. Peter stood stock still as he looked up at the mountain ahead of him with four famous faces carved in it. It sounds silly but he got goosebumps seeing such a popular landmark. 

The second day was Morgan’s favorite. They loaded the car up with a cooler of sandwiches and Tony made sure they had plenty of snacks before they drove about twenty minutes to the Badlands National Park. They took their time driving along the different loops, each passenger trying to spot the next wild animal among the beautiful landscape. Morgan ended up finding the most. They saw mountain goats, deer, a ton of buffalo and Morgan’s favorite, prairie dogs. They picnicked at one of the scenic overlooks, Peter day dreaming of swinging between the beautiful and giant rock formations; Pepper quickly shot that idea down.

The third and fourth days ended up being Tony and Pepper's favorite days. They didn’t go out and about much, mainly sticking around their temporary home base. They went on hikes on the paths around the cabin, played board games much too competitively, and Peter and Morgan attempted making breakfast in bed for Pepper and Tony, attempted being the key word.

Their final night found them around the fire pit out back. The flickering light of the fire cast dancing shadows along the trees that thickly lined half of the yard. The other side of the yard was open, looking out at a large expanse of land that seemed to stretch until it met the sky.

“Hand me those Hersheys Pete. Not that I need to be any sweeter but…” Tony teased as Peter tossed him the pack of chocolate.

“Oh please.” Pepper rolled her eyes as she flipped Morgan's jacket hood up to ward of the chill now that the sun was setting. The pair shared a log bench while Peter and Tony were both sitting on tree trunk seats.

“We all know Morgan's the sweetest.” Peter chimed in, taking his fourth roasted marshmallow off his stick.

“Thanks, Petey, I am pretty sweet! You are too! And Mommy and Gerald and Happy and Auntie May and I guess Daddy too!”

“Saved the best for last didn’t you? For dramatic effect and all that huh? Huh?” He continued to tease as he poked Morgan's side, loving the way she giggled and her hood fell further to cover her eyes.

“Daddy!” 

“Okay, okay! I’ll stop.”

“Hey Mo, can you toss me those chips?” Peter asked as he smacked his lips from the s’more he finished.

“Kid, are you trying to get a tummy ache? I know I told Pepper junk food was essential to this trip but you don’t have to prove it.”

“I know, I’m just cold.”

“Wait what? How does that have any correlation?” Tony asked, his face scrunching up in confusion making Morgan giggle again.

“I don’t know! I’m trying to distract myself from being cold!” Peter was wearing a hoodie but Tony supposed with his spider DNA it wouldn’t do much. Tony simply raised an eyebrow waiting the kid out.

“Okay fine, I know it doesn’t make sense!”

“I get it Petey! Like when you gotta do homework but can’t focus so you have to sing a song!”

“Exactly!”

“Okay, there must be some weird children only logic going on here because you two kids are talking crazy.” Tony ceded, taking off the jacket he was wearing.

“Mr. Stark, what are you doing?” Peter asked as he narrowed his eyes at his ~~mentor~~ father figure.

“What do you think kid, that I’m just gonna let you freeze before my eyes?”

“What, no! I can just scoot closer to the fire, its fine really. I don’t want you to get cold.”

“Did you pack a jacket Peter?”

“…”

“That’s what I thought. Put this on. I’ll be fine with my sweatshirt.” He went so far as to walk over, gently grabbed Peter's hand and started threading the boys arm through the jacket sleeve like he was dressing a toddler.

The surprising act made Peter burst out in laughter. “Tony! Tony stop! I can do it myself.” Tony smiled brightly, laughing along at the joyous sound while he continued helping Peter put his jacket on. It was basically habit at this point with having Morgan around and you couldn’t fault him for wanting to do the same for his other kid now that he had the chance to.

“There! That makes me feel better.” Tony said as he ruffled Peter's curls, perhaps slyly brushing against the kid's ears to make sure they weren’t too cold before taking his own seat again.

“Alright guys, should we do highs and lows of the trip so far?” Pepper asked the group as they all sat comfortably around the fire accompanied by the crackling and snaps of the burning wood.

“I'll go first!” Morgan piped up, surprising no one with her ready enthusiasm. “Um…my low is, is that we're gonna go home tomorrow. And my high is seeing the huge Prairie dog statue! It was gigantic! Oh wait! I also liked the Enchanted road!”

“The Enchanted Highway with all the huge sculptures along the road?”

“Yeah! That one!”

“Pep, how about you?”

“Hmm, I've really enjoyed the trip so far so it’s hard to think of a low. Maybe your Dad's driving?” She teased, not wanting to waste the opportunity to do so.

“Pep! You wound me!”

“And my high,” she continued on, “has been all the fresh air and time spent together.”

“Spoken like a true mom.”

“And how about you Pete?”

Peter tilted his head as he thought for a minute. “I don’t want to cheat but I really don’t have a low. It’s been the perfect mix between exciting and relaxing. My favorite has been- “

“Don’t say the Lego set Kid.”

Peter laughed but shook his head. “No, no but that was such a surprise and I can’t wait to show Ned! I was gonna say my favorite part was- “

“Don’t say the junk food either.” Pepper playfully interrupted again on purpose, laughing at the groan it earned her.

“Guyssss!” Peter whined out. “I was gonna say my favorite part was hanging out with you guys but I totally take that back. Now it’s the food!”

“Oh, we're just giving you a hard time Bambi! Although I think you stole my favorite part. I have no low, but my high has been having each of you within arm’s reach for a whole week. I haven’t had to worry about any new villains popping up on your patrols, or SI being infiltrated while you’re at work, if someone’s being mean to my baby girl at school, none of it. You’re all exactly where I can see you and that’s just how I like things.”

“You know, you don’t _have_ to worry about us _all_ the time.” Peter tried reasoning but was cut off with a shake of Tony's head.

“Sorry Bub, that’s just not how being a parent works.” His eyes turned soft as he gently explained to his son. “But it’s okay, I wouldn’t change it for anything in the universe.” The answering shy smile that bloomed across the boy's face just proved his point. He was happy with the right now; with his son and daughter and wife all by his side, safe and laughing and smiling. Yeah, he wouldn’t change this for anything.

* * *

When they returned home, three colorfully drawn pictures were hung up on the fridge for all to see. On the long car ride home, Morgan had busied herself with coloring so that she could always remember her first family trip with her brother by her side. The first picture was out of her new coloring book; it had Sleeping Beauty surrounded by animals and Spiderman hanging from a tree in the corner (she added that last part). Another picture had Petey and Daddy standing in front of the big Sandy the Crane statue that was in the middle of nowhere but meant they were getting close to the cabin! The final drawing was a family picture! She drew herself, her brother and her parents all standing in front of the giant prairie dog statue just outside the Badlands! She had an amazing time and wouldn’t change a thing about her first road trip! Although, maybe next time she could sneak a prairie dog into the car!

**Author's Note:**

> I've got some serious plans for my Rusty the Service Dog series to come but wanted to focus on the back half of Comfortember!
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts/any feedback!
> 
> I just did this road trip with my siblings not too long ago, all mentioned places and statues are real lol.
> 
> Please be safe both mentally and physically as we move into this holiday season. Feel free to reach out to me at ANY time if you need to chat!
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://zanderljones.tumblr.com)


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